Vive Le France Part 1.
by JoBelle
Summary: My take on the finale of Season 1.


Vive Le France  
By JoBelle  
jodie@dawsonscreek.zzn.com  
  
Disclaimer: Everybody from Dawson's Creek isn't mine!! They are the fabulous creations of one of my absolute favorite writers of all time the illustrious Mr. Kevin Williamson and all the other peeps over at WB.   
  
(My take on the ending of Season 1. Picks up from after Joey visits her dad for the first time.)  
  
  
Josephine Potter walked up the dock and onto her best-friend Dawson Leery's lawn. She stuck her hands into the pocket of her jean jacket shivering slightly in the crisp early morning air. She stared up at the ladder that led to Dawson's window. A window she'd been climbing in and out of practically for as long as she could remember. She wondered if she was really making excuses to run away from the situation she had started by telling Dawson what she had told him after that stupid Beauty Pageant.   
  
He had said he'd like to discuss it. Maybe he did feel the same way as she did. "Stop it!" She ordered herself. "Dawson Leery does now and forever will think of you as the little girl with the plasters on her knees and the messy pigtails from the wrong side of the creek and will NEVER think you as a love interest. Not as long as Short, Blonde and Helpless was in the picture anyway. So get up there and tell him what you came to say." She scolded herself walking towards the ladder.   
  
Joey climbed through the window finding Dawson typing feverishly at his computer. " Hey Dawson." She said coming into the room.   
"Hey Jo." He greeted clicking shut whatever file he had been typing in with such a frenzy. "What are you doing up so early?" He asked closing off Microsoft Word.   
  
" Actually I haven't been to bed yet. I've been up thinking..." Her voice trailed off.   
"You've been thinking...." He prompted.   
"And I think I'm going to go to France for the semester." She blurted out after a few seconds of silence.   
He looked at her in shock. " Jo! You can't go to France." He exclaimed horrifiedly.   
"And why not Dawson? What's keeping me here?" She asked arching an eyebrow at him. "Nope. Paris is the smart choice. I can start over there. I can just be Joey. Not the girl whose mother died of cancer when she was thirteen. Not the girl whose father went to jail for trafficking cocaine. I can just be me. No whispers. No stares. Nothing." She said sounding more like she was trying to convince herself rather than Dawson.   
  
" Jo you don't even speak French that well. You got a B minus on your last french final and that would've been a C if u hadn't gotten extra help." Dawson said grasping at straws here. Anything to keep her from leaving him.   
"So I'll learn Dawson," She said shrugging her shoulders. "They say the best way to learn a language is to live where they speak it." Dawson looked at her like if she'd just told him his dog had died. (I mean an ACTUAL animal here people not the other kind!! Get your minds outta the gutter!! Although that loss would probably be just as disturbing. *G*)   
  
" Are you sure this is what you want?" He asked praying she'd say no. She nodded biting her lower lip . " Well then I'm happy for you ." He said although his face retained its crushed expression . He held out his arms and she walked into them . They held each other close for a while not saying anything just listening to the other breathe .   
  
Joey pulled back first. "Well I better go I've still gotta get ready for school and stuff , so I'll see ya later ." She said walking over to the window .   
"Hey, Jo." He said . One leg in one leg out she turned back to look at him. "I'm gonna miss you." He told her quietly. She gave him a half smile.   
"I'm gonna miss you too Dawson." She said before climbing back out the window an overwhelming feeling of sadness enveloping her being .   
  
She swiped at her eyes furiously as she walked down the path. Dawson buried his face in his hands resting his elbows on his knees pushing his hair back from his face and drawing in a deep breath and closing his eyes as Joey mimicked the same actions in the rowboat .   
  
  
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-  
3 Days later: Joey's going away dinner at some restaurant in Capeside. _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-   
  
  
" Normally I'm the last person who'd not know what to say but today I don't . I really don't . My best friend is moving fifty thousand miles away. That's a little too over whelming to deal with in just three days . So I was sitting in my room listening to the radio thinking about what I was going to say to you tonight when this came on and it seemed perfect .So anyhow here it is ." Dawson said nodding to the waiter .   
  
  
He got up out of his chair and went around to Joey's extending a hand . She looked at him strangely but got out of her seat nonetheless and allowed him to lead her out onto the dance floor of the restaurant as the strains of "Blessid Union of Souls" "Peace and Love" began to play.   
  
May every star you wish upon   
And every hope you're hangin' on come true   
Out of everybody in the world   
There's no one who deserves it more than you.   
  
  
Joey stepped into Dawson's arms and laid her head on his shoulder listening to the lyrics of the song as they continued to play .   
  
  
I hope you find   
Everything you've been dreamin of   
Only good things   
No in betweens just   
Peace & Love   
  
  
She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath letting it out slowly. Do I really wanna go to France ? So what if Dawson didn't think about me that way. Do I really wanna go and risk the chance that they'd grow apart while I was away ? That things would never be the same once I came back . Then again they'd change anyway if I stayed . Dawson can be dense but not much longer than he already has and if he did feel the same way he'd've said something by now to stop me from going. Nope. France is definitely the smart choice .   
  
  
These words did not come easily   
still you know I had to write them down   
You must know what you mean to me   
I wish that you could always be around   
I hope you find   
Everything you are worthy of   
I'm gonna miss you   
But I only wish you   
Peace and love   
  
Dawson closed his eyes and dropped his head . It would be selfish of me to ask her to stay . This is the opportunity of a lifetime . So what if I have feelings for her . So what if I already miss her and she's not even gone yet. This is what she wants and I have no right to ask her to stay. She'd resent me for the rest of her life if she stayed because of my feelings . I can always tell her later . She might not even feel the same then I'd have embarrassed myself for nothing and everything would be weird between us when she came back .   
  
  
Peace and love   
Tears of Joy   
Kindness of strangers   
All of your roads paved in gold   
By guardian angels   
Wherever you may be in this world   
My salutation says it all   
May you always have enough   
Peace and Love   
  
  
Joey raised her head and looked up at Dawson after he sighed. He gave her a half-hearted smile, which she returned before laying her head back onto his shoulder.   
  
  
  
I let you go unselfishly   
Cause everyone needs time to be alone   
Well maybe time will bring you back to me   
And if it does you'll always have a home   
I sign my name   
No one to blame it on because   
I'm on your side   
No question of pride   
Kindness of strangers   
All of your roads   
Paved in gold   
By Guardian angels   
Wherever you may be in this world   
My salutation says it all   
May you always have enough peace and love   
  
  
  
The song ended and Joey and Dawson stepped back from each other , their hands remaining lightly intertwined ,looking slightly embarrassed. They stood staring at each other awkwardly not sure exactly what to say now.   
  
  
"Well we better get back to the table before Mitch & Gail decide to send out wedding invitations." Dawson said finally, glancing in the direction of their table and seeing his parents staring at them with huge grins plastered across their faces.   
"Yeah guess so." Joey said reluctantly stepping away from him and heading back to their table.   
  
"Well I guess I'll see ya tomorrow morning. You guys are leaving for the airport at 9:30 right?" Dawson said walking with Joey down to the dock. She nodded.   
"Yup. Flight leaves at 12:30 so we gotta be there three hours early to check in and stuff. God! It's gonna be so strange to wake up and not speak the language or recognize where I am." Joey exclaimed.   
"Well better you than me." He said with a smile. "I don't think I could handle being away from everyone I know for that long. But I know you can Jo. You'll do just fine in Paris." He told her reassuringly.   
Joey gave him a half smile. "You think so?"   
"Yeah. I do." Dawson said with a nod, getting into the boat and starting the motor. "Well, I'll see ya." Dawson said.   
"Yeah see ya." Joey said sadly , watching as the boat grew smaller and smaller in the distance before going inside the house.   
Dawson turned around once he saw Joey go into the house in his rearview mirror and started longingly after her retreating figure . His heart breaking in two but knowing she'd resent him if she didn't go to Paris because of him   



End file.
